Understanding Solubility in Solutions
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FNSA Region 5Understanding Solubility in Solutions
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FNSA Region 58.
Solubility
Introduction
Solution: A solution is a homogenous mixture in which one substance called the
solute is uniformly dispersed in another substance called the solvent. Because the
solute and the solvent do not react with each other, they can be mixed in varying
proportions. A little sugar dissolved in water tastes slightly sweet. When more sugar
dissolves, the water tastes very sweet. Usually, the solute (in this case, sugar) is the
substance present in the smaller amount, whereas the solvent (water) is present in
the larger amount. In a solution, the particles of solute are evenly dispersed among
the molecules within the solvent.
Types of Solutes and Solvents: Solutes and solvents can be solid, liquid or gases.
The solution that forms has the same physical state as the solvent. Soft drinks are
prepared by dissolving CO2 gas in water. The CO2 is the solute, and the water is the
solvent.
Water is one the most common solvents in nature. In the H2O molecule, an oxygen
atom shares electrons with two hydrogen atoms. Since oxygen is much more
electronegative than hydrogen, the O-H bonds are polar.
The term solubility is used to describe the amount of a solute that can dissolve in a
given amount of solvent. Many factors such as the type of solute, the type of solvent,
and the temperature, affect the solubility of a solute. Solubility, usually expressed in
grams of solute in 100 grams of solvent, is the maximum amount of solute that can
be dissolved at a certain temperature. If a solute readily dissolves when added to the
solvent, the solution does not contain the maximum amount of solute. We call this
solution an unsaturated solution. A solution that contains all the solute that can
dissolve is a saturated solution.
We can prepare a saturated solution by adding an amount of solute greater than that
needed to reach solubility. Stirring the solution will dissolve the maximum amount
of solute and leave the excess on the bottom of the container. Once we have a
saturated solution, the addition of more solute will only increase the amount of
undissolved solute.
The interaction between solute and solvent will determine whether or not a solution
will form. A solution forms when there is sufficient attraction between the particles
of the solute and the solvent, which provides energy to separate the particles. Such
attractions only occur when the solute and the solvent have similar polarities.
We generally roughly divide materials into being polar such as water, sugar and salt,
and those that are not polar (non-polar) such as wax and oil. Compounds containing
nonpolar molecules such as iodine (I2), oil, hexane, or grease do not dissolve in water
because there are no attractions between the nonpolar solute and the polar solvent.
Nonpolar solutes require nonpolar solvents for a solution to form. The expression
“like dissolves like” is a way of saying that the polarities of a solute and a solvent
must be similar in order to form a solution. We will examine this below with simple
experiments.
Materials
Clear glass or plastic bowl or cup
Sugar
Salt
Candle
Baking soda
Cooking oil
Mineral or motor oil
Water
Exercise
PLEASE COMPLETE EXERCISES, DO NOT TURN THE COPY TO
ME THAT IS FOR YOU TO PRACTICE!
Exercise 8.1. Place into water the following and note which are soluble (dissolved);
1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp table salt, 1 tsp baking soda, a drop of cooking oil, shavings of a
candle. Record your results in Table 14.1
Table 8.1 Results of solubility of selected items in water
Tested Material Soluble in water (Yes or No)
Sugar _____
Salt (sodium chloride) _____
Baking soda _____
Oil _____
Candle _____
1. How can you tell if a material is dissolved?
2. Place into two groups the materials tested
Polar
Non-Polar
3. Again, place into two groups the tested materials
Soluble
Not Soluble
4. Is there a similarity between the two groupings and if so what is the similarity?
5. What do your results tell you concerning the nature of materials that dissolve and
those that are not soluble in water?
Exercise 8.2. Place into mineral or motor oil the following and note which are
soluble: 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp table salt, 1 tsp baking soda, a drop of cooking oil, shavings
of a candle. Record your results in Table 14.2. (Motor and mineral oil are largely
hydrocarbons and are non-polar.)
Table 8.2 Results of solubility of selected items in an oil
Tested Material Soluble in oil (Yes or No)
Sugar _____
Salt _____
baking soda _____
Oil _____
Candle _____
6. What do your results tell you concerning the nature of materials that dissolve and
those that are not soluble in oil?
7. Compare the solubility results in water with those in oil. Offer an explanation
for these differences.
